Infiltrate - Destroy - Rebuild

CKY's infamy from their exposure through skateboarding videos and MTV's Jackass was on the wane by the time their second Island album rolled around. Lucky them, as expectations to be a goofy skater band have slowly dissolved and left the group to find their sound. And strangely enough, they found straight-ahead heavy metal underneath all the hype, showing an excellent talent for menacing melodies, grim lyrics, and heavy riffs. The album-opening "Escape From Hellview" is a glorious attempt at a metal anthem; riding high on winding guitars and eerie synth lines, Deron Miller's infectious tale of friends hanging from trees and the deafening silence of loneliness is an unquestionable success. Instantly setting the mood, the rest of the album bounces back and forth between these deliberate slabs of metal and poppier post-grunge rockers. The 4/4 disco beat and lifting melodies of "Plastic Plan" are a good example of the latter, although the song doesn't abandon the dark, bass-heavy sound that their heavier tracks showcase. Even their stab at gothic metal, "Sporadic Movement," is a fantastic experiment that proves what a versatile band CKY is at their core. Breaking out of the mold and bucking expectations, Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild is an irony-free exploration of heavy music that goes straight for the gut and keeps on punching.